| 4th | Top drama films |
| Roja | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Mani Ratnam |
| Produced by | Mani Ratnam K. Balachander |
| Written by | Mani Ratnam |
| Starring | Arvind Swamy Madhoo Pankaj Kapoor Nasser Janagaraj |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Santosh Sivan |
| Distributed by | Kavithalayaa Productions Pyramid |
| Release date(s) | 14 August 1992 |
| Running time | 137 mins |
| Language | Tamil |
| Gross revenue | $4 million |
Roja (Tamil: ரோஜா) is a 1992 Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film was subsequently dubbed in Hindi,Marathi,Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu.
The film won three National Film Awards, including Best Film on National Integration, catapulting Ratnam to national acclaim. The film also gained international acclaim with its nomination for Best Film at the Moscow International Film Festival.[1] The film was recently re-released for international audiences in light of the growing fear of terrorist attacks across the world. This film was so popular during that time, that terrorists in Kashmir, got a copy of the movie in Tamil.[citation needed]
The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, who debuted in Tamil as a music director with this film. This soundtrack is among the "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time listed by TIME magazine, issued in 2005.[2][3]
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Roja (Madhoo) is a simple village girl, born and brought up in Sundarapandianpuram in Tirunelveli district in Southern Tamil Nadu. The story begins with Roja fervently wishing that her sister's marriage proposal get accepted successfully. The prospective suitor is top cryptologist Rishi Kumar (Arvind Swamy), who is set to arrive in the village soon. It soon emerges that Roja's sister is in love with another, and to everyone's surprise Rishi requests Roja's hand in marriage. Being unaware of her sister's love affair, Roja is not willing to accept Rishi's proposal as she believes that he is the best match for her sister. But due to her parent's pressure, she gets married to Rishi, and the couple move out of the village to live in Madras.
Initially Roja is angry with Rishi for rejecting her sister, but when she comes to know of her sister's love affair and consequent rejection of Rishi, she apologizes and starts seeing him in a new light. Love blossoms, and life is blissful for the couple for a short while. Meanwhile, Rishi is assigned a posting at an army communications center in Kashmir as part of his job- he works for the Indian government. All of a sudden, the couple find themselves in a beautiful, yet alien land. And Roja's world turns upside down when Rishi is abducted by the terrorists whose agenda is to separate Kashmir from India and to free their leader, Wasim Khan- he's being held by the Indian military forces due to his crimes. Faced with the daunting task of rescuing her husband, Roja runs from pillar to post, pleading with politicians and the military for help. Further complicating matters is the communication gap- she can't speak their language, and they can't speak hers. Consequently, all her efforts to apprise them of her suffering and pain prove to be futile. Now all alone in her battle to save her husband in an unfamiliar place from ruthless terrorists, with rising odds against her, will Roja succeed? What happens to Rishi and Wasim Khan? These form the core plot of the movie.
The film has won the following awards since its release:[1]
1993 Moscow International Film Festival (Russia)
1993 National Film Awards (India)
| Roja | ||||
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| Soundtrack by A R Rahman | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn, AM Studios | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 25:33 | |||
| Label | Lahari | |||
| Producer | A. R. Rahman | |||
| A R Rahman chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack features score and six songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics in the Tamil language by Vairamuthu. Songs such as "Rukkumani" had a loud thumping feel and became ingrained in pop culture.
Also, many new singers were introduced to the Tamil music scene. Time magazine's noted film critic, Richard Corliss stated that the "astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman." Including the album on a list of Time magazine's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time in 2005,[2][3] he admitted to failing to properly check facts on a lyrics website when describing two songs using dubbed Hindi titles on his article.[4] The soundtrack also found success in its many dubbed versions released in subsequent years.
Track listing:
All lyrics written by Vairamuthu, all music composed by A. R. Rahman.
| # | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rukkumani" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chitra | 6:02 |
| 2. | "Chinna Chinna Aasai" | Minmini, A.R.Rahman | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Kaadhal Rojave" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Pudhu Vellai Mazhai" | Unni Menon, Sujatha | 5:18 |
| 5. | "Tamizha Tamizha" | Hariharan , Chorus | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Chinna Chinna Aasai" | Minmini | 1:07 |
Released on Lahari, the soundtrack for Roja proved immensely popular.
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   | The list - Best Soundtracks - ALL-TIME 100 movies - TIME |
| | That Old Feeling - Secrets of the All-Time 100 - TIME - Secrets of the All-Time 100 - TIME |
| | Roja Lyrics - AR Rahman - Music Director From India - Slumdog Millionaire - Golden Globe and Oscar Award Winner |
| | Roja Lyrics - AR Rahman - Music Director From India - Slumdog Millionaire - Golden Globe and Oscar Award Winner |
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